Duo Accused of 100s of Vehicle Break-Ins Face Pretrial Hearing

A pretrial hearing is scheduled Wednesday morning for a couple charged with a string of vehicle burglaries in Los Alamitos and surrounding cities.

Authorities accuse Julio Cesar Pachas, 41, and girlfriend Michella Ann Fuquay of burglarizing hundreds of vehicles in northern Orange county and southern Los Angeles county starting by at least Jan. 2011.

Pachas is charged with four counts of second-degree burglary, a count of possession of a firearm by a felon, a count of a prohibited person owning ammunition, and two counts of receiving stolen property, all felonies. He also faces a sentencing enhancement for committing a crime while out of custody on another charge.

Garden Grove police have counted 247 vehicle burglaries in their city alone in connection to Pachas, according to GGPD Lt. Jeff Nightengale.

Pachas also faces charges of underage sex with a 17-year- old girl, according to court records, and Fuquay is also charged with receiving stolen property

In the sex case, Pachas is charged with two counts of oral copulation of a minor, three counts of unlawful sex and possession of child pornography, all felonies.

Detectives investigating the case finally got a break when a sharp-eyed victim whose car was just burglarized in September spotted the culprit and wrote down the license plate of the getaway vehicle, Nightengale said.

That led police to Pachas' home in October, where investigators found “wall to wall stolen property,” Nightengale said.

Investigators found cell phones, laptop computers, cameras, and other types of electronics, Nightengale said. They also found a handgun, a Taser gun, 119 California driver's licenses, 241 credit cards, several hundred purses, wallets, backpacks, suitcases and nearly $10,000 in cash, Nightengale said.

Investigators suspect Pachas also stole from vehicles in Los Alamitos, Westminster, Cypress, Buena Park and southern cities of Los Angeles County, Nightengale said.

When Pachas was arrested he was with a 17-year-old girl, who told investigators she had been dating the defendant, Nightengale said. Pachas had nude photographs of her on his cell phone, Nightengale said.

Pachas posted bail and was released from custody, but he continued the crime spree, Nightengale alleged.

“There was no stopping him — he just kept doing it,” Nightengale said.

Another search warrant served Nov. 20 led investigators to more stolen property from a storage unit Pachas was using, Nightengale said.

Fuquay, another one of Pacha's girlfriend — was also arrested in November, Nightengale said.

Pachas pleaded not guilty Nov. 29.

- City News Service